Getting injured on the job is a stressful situation that thousands of people in Wisconsin go through each year. Even with safety policies, safety gear, preventive training and OSHA standards in place, it is still possible for employees to suffer an injury on the job. If you are injured on the job, you need to seek medical care, report the injury immediately to your employer, and then file a workers’ compensation claim. Let us take a look at how you can get the most from your workers’ comp claim.
Report the Injury Immediately
As mentioned above you need to report the injury immediately. This is so important to the success of your claim that it needs to be mentioned twice. Delaying the report of the injury will only hamper your claim and possibly lead to the denial of the claim. You have six years from the date of your injury in Wisconsin to file a claim. Even though this might seem like a long time, you should not wait until the last minute in the event you cannot find all of the necessary supporting documents.
Have an Independent Medical Evaluation
One of the most important things you can do is have an independent medical evaluation performed. It is likely that your employer will send you to a doctor recommended or required by their insurance company. This doctor might not diagnose your injury as severe as it is because the insurance company wants to pay as little as possible. Have an independent evaluation of your injury by a doctor not associated with your employer or their insurance company.
Learn About the Benefits Available
It is important to educate yourself on the benefits available through workers’ compensation. There are different categories that you could fall into depending on the severity of your injury and how long you are expected to miss work. The various categories are temporary disability, permanent disability, vocational rehabilitation, medical treatment, and mileage.
Keep Detailed Records
Keeping detailed records of your injury throughout the entire claims process is essential to getting the most from your workers’ compensation claim. Everything should be documented in writing, and get multiple copies of reports when possible. Scan these documents and upload them to the cloud so they are accessible from anywhere and can be replicated if you lose the paper versions.
Check for an Investigator
It is not out of the realm of possibility that a private investigator is following you on a regular basis since you filed your claim. When an insurance company is led to believe that the claim is fraudulent, they will hire an investigator to look into the person who filed the claim. This person will keep a close eye on your actions and movements both in public and at home.
If in your claim you state that you cannot lift anything that is more than 10 pounds and you are seen lifting your toddler or a bag of mulch, the insurance company will argue that you’ve been lying about the injury.
Were you recently injured on the job in Wisconsin? It is time to speak with an experienced attorney who can guide you through the process for obtaining workers’ compensation benefits. Contact the experienced team at Moen Sheehan Meyer, Ltd. at 608-784-8310 today to schedule a consultation.